Blood of the Eternal Star: Seasons of Truth Trilogy: Summer of the FireStorm
by ShadowMoonSedai
Summary: They thought their enemies were just normal punks...(minor rewrites)
1. Default Chapter Title

Blood of The Eternal Star: Seasons of the Armors Trilogy: Summer of the Fire Storm

My name's Brinara Lijak. Call me Brin. Call me Brinara and I'll be forced to knock some sense into you. The deal is, Talpa's got six new armors. Dark Fire, Black Water, Corrupt Ice, Wicked Lightening, Acid Air, and Satanic Earth. Of course, they're all guys who wear them. I'm not a guy. I happen to be a girl, almost fifteen, with short, light brown hair (that I always keep in a bandanna) and blue eyes. It's kind of a long story as to why I have the twin armor of Dark Fire and why I'm not evil. I'll explain later 'cause, trust me, it's confusing.

I'm Nicjashi Coran, or Nicka, or Nikki. The one name I can't stand is Nee, so don't even suggest that. My armor is Water Star, Black Water's twin. I have bluish black hair that's about to my shoulders and pulled back in a headband. My eyes are green and I really like to fight. _Really_, especially if it's for a good cause, like the entire mortal realm. One thing Brin "forgot" to mention is we fight with the Ronin warriors, not against, unlike our doubles. Um… I kinda have a thing for Kento, but don't say anything. I wouldn't hear the end of it.

Nicka has a thing for Kento… yeah, like we didn't already know. Not that I should talk. Yes, I like Rowen. Anybody got a problem with that? I thought not. The one major item you should know about all of us is we're all girls. Not the Ronins (what kind of evil demented person are you to think up such a thing?), but my five friends and I. And, we're not giving up until the Dark Star Armors are destroyed.

Prologue

I collapsed on the couch and sighed. Damn Kaji and his "let's attack the New Years party downtown with hundreds of innocent bystanders". Since we had been defending the city, we had missed having our own celebration. Now it was one in the morning, but I wasn't going to sleep for another three hours or so. I will still high on the adrenaline of battle. 

"That was definitely a little less then fun," said Saki. "Micael got hit pretty hard and, of course, so did I."

"Sorry," apologized Cye. "I wasn't aiming _for_ him, he just kind of got in the way." Saki grinned.

"That's okay," she said. "But next time, I'll kick his ass, 'kay?" He nodded, but smiled back. 

"I'll go make some tea," said Mia. Ryo followed her into the kitchen and Rowen and I exchanged a glance. They liked it each other a lot, that was obvious, but for some reason, they never showed it. He shrugged and sat down next to me.

"I swear, if Grant calls me a dumb blonde one more time, I'm gonna ring his neck," said Ariogya, settling on the floor at Sage's feet. "I'm gonna ring his neck anyway, but it will be much easier if I'm really angry at him."

"You're always angry at him," commented Sage. She glanced at him, then sighed.

"Don't be a jerk, Sage."

"At least they were just there to be a pain," I said. "Usually, they actually do damage." Nicka laughed.

"Brin, I consider half a city block damage," she said. "But it's difference of opinion, I guess."

"Not really opinion, just the fact I'm so used to him doing much, much worse." Rowen wrapped his arms around my shoulders and I leaned against him. "Some things change." 

"What's your new years resolution?" asked Kento. Nicka smiled at him.

"Personally, I'm going for one day where I don't have to call on a mystical power, don't have to worry about Hario reading my dreams, playing with my mind or anything involving such, and don't have to think about the fact that there's a profound evil threatening our world," she said. Mia and Ryo came back in, with cups of tea.

"Why don't we go shopping?" suggested Mia. "It would be fun." A laugh filled the air before there was anyone to put it with. Rowen tensed, but I just beamed. Micja and Laori appeared out of thin air.

"You've never shopped with Nicka," said Laori. "Armor is a definite must have."

"Oh, hush," replied Nikki. "That's not nice." Micja grinned.

"But it's true," she said innocently. I shook my head. 

"What?" asked Rowen. 

"I'm just thinking," I answered._Not even a year ago, Nicka would've been all for fighting. Micja wouldn't have been so quick to make a smart-ass response and Laori… she wouldn't have been here at all. We've all changed so much-_

"Yuli!" shouted Briana, my sister raising her hand to hit him. He ducked her blow and ran up the stairs "Give me back my scrunchi!" I smiled and shook my head. 

# And then again, some things are still the same.

Chapter 1

_Thud. Thud. Thud._ I looked up from my book, and my confusion disappeared in a split second. Kaji and his gang, the Dark Stars, were once again surrounding a single person and kicking the snot out of them. That person happened to be a friend of mine, Sakimata Demhi. I sighed and folded down the corner of my page, then stuck the thing into my duffel bag and walked over to the little gathering. 

"Saki, Saki, Saki," said Kaji with a slight smile of satisfaction. "You should know better then to defy _us_." I coughed and he whirled around angrily. "_You_! What do you want?"

"Basically, I want you to stop beating the shit out of my friend," I said calmly. "Is that too much to ask, Kaji?"

"You wanna start something?" asked Hario darkly. "You think you can take on all of us?"

"Probably, but she's nicer then that." I grinned as Ariogya Sheekai, Nicjashi Coran, and Micja Nurama came around me. "Now, who wants to fight?" finished Nicka. 

"We can take you," said Grant.

"Wanna try me, pretty boy?" asked Ariogya coldly.

"Yeah. Let's go." I stepped in between the two of them.

"Uh, guys? Bloodshed before school is not a good thing," I said. "Kaji, six against one aren't good odds, especially since we all know Saki's been sick. What the hell made you start this?"

"I simply asked Saki for the money she owes me-"

"I don't owe you any money," groaned Saki into the cement. Micja pulled her to her feet and Saki wiped blood from her upper lip.

"That's whatyou_ say_…"

"I'll trust Saki over you any day of the week, Kaji. Now move you carcass before I kick it."

"Try me." I grabbed his collar and lifted him clear off the ground. Being several inches taller the Kaji, this had a nice effect.

"Leave. My. Friends. Alone. And. Get. Your. Lackies. Out. Of. Here" I chided coolly. "You're a small brained little P.O.S and not worth half the space you take up. Now, do want this to go further, or do you want to save your parents the hospital bill?" He paled slightly and cast a glance over at his friends. They moved forward, but Nicka coughed, waved with a psychotic little smile, and they stepped back quickly. Ariogya sighed and turned her attention towards town. 

"What the hell is that?!" I dropped Kaji (on accident, of course) and turned to where Ary was pointing. Dark smoke billowed through the sky. My instinct kicked in with the thought _Someone could be hurt._ Not the smartest thought, being I'm not trained in first aid, but I've always liked helping people.

"Let's go. There might be someone in trouble."

"You got it Super Women," said Nicka. "But can I point out the fact that their running away like chickens with their heads cut off?"

"And can I point the fact that I don't really care?" I asked, grabbing my bag. "Let's hurry."

Chapter 2

I threw my bag down on the pine needles and watched the blaze angrily. Our school. Destroyed and we had no idea how of when it had started. But something was definitely up. Ash does not burn _that_ well.

"This isn't right," said Ary. "There's something wrong."

"Even the firefighters don't know how this happened," said Saki. "They're more confused then we are."

"This smells bad, tastes bad, and looks bad," said Nicka. "Does that mean it's bad?"

"Just slightly," I answered, getting back up. I felt… that there was still something missing. Something we hadn't noticed. I could feel darkness surrounding the entire building, despite the heat.

Suddenly, there was a flash. I whirled around and watched the flames. Something glinted off the sun again. I realized no one else had seen it. Saki had run off to talk to a teacher, dragging Micja with her and Ariogya and Nicka were watching the firefighters attempts at putting out the blaze. That left me. Don't ask why this was so important to me. Usually, walking straight into fire is not something I do, but that light was familiar. And I wanted to know why.

"Brin!" shouted Ary. I barely heard her. My hand went into the flames… and I was scarcely aware of it. I wrapped my fingers around some solid thing and reality came crashing back. Ariogya and Nicka grabbed my shoulders and hauled me back into the trees. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" hollered Ary. "Are you insane?!" I coughed smoke out of my lungs and showed them the katana. Nicka glanced around as Ariogya raised an eyebrow and almost started shouting again.

"What is that?" asked Nicka, bringing her voice down.

"I don't know," I replied between coughs. "But we need to find out."

"How?" said Ary, regaining her composure. 

"There's a woman at the university. My aunt talks about her constantly. She knows about ancient weapons and name the last time you saw a katana. I think her name was Mia Koji."

"Then let's go," said Nicka. "We've got to get Saki and Micja first."

"Saki's gonna kill you."

"Me?" I said. "Why… oh. The whole risking my life for a sword thing, right. Can we just not tell her, maybe?"

"She'll wonder where we got it."

"And? We're in the middle of a forest. There are a hundred places I could've gotten this."

"She won't buy it." Just then, Saki and Micja came back, looking perplexed.

"Ms. Kender said this has been going on since around five this morning. No one's been hurt, but it was almost like the place exploded," said Saki. "What in the name of-"

"Come on," I said, getting up. "We've got to get going." I pulled open the zipper of my duffel bag and put the katana inside. The handle still stuck out, but at least that way, I knew it was there and I wasn't carrying it around out in the open. Everyone was so busy with the inferno that had once been my school they didn't notice us running off.

Chapter 3 –Pasts Brought Back

"It's a nice day," commented Micja, glancing up at the sky. She was right, of course. The sky was blue and the only clouds were white little wisps. It had rained not too long ago, so the ground was wet, but for June, this was wonderful. "How far is it until the university?"

"Only another half mile or so. Too bad the buses were down," said Ary, digging a book out of her backpack. "But this is okay."

"When I get my hands on Hario…" Nicka had been threatening his life for that past half hour and probably still would for the next three days. "I'll bet you he had something to do with that fire."

"And I'll bet your imagination has run away with you again," said Saki. She gave Nicka a pat on the shoulder. "He's just a punk who's got very little more to do then terrorize people. Kill him later."

"Fine," sighed Nicka. "I guess I will. You know what, Saki? Ever since I met you, I haven't had any fun." Saki grinned wickedly.

"You also haven't had detention," pointed out Micja. She looked up at the sky, then back down at the ground. Her entire mood changed in that two second span.

"Micja, what is it?" I asked. She blinked back tears and lifted her head.

"Laori's birthday is in a week," she said. "One more year I can't be with my cousin on our birthdays."

"Oh, Micja," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her. I know we will." Laori was- is Micja's cousin. When we were in fifth grade, she suddenly disappeared. The police had no leads, no nothing. It wasn't an easy time for any of us. Ary's grandma had just died, Saki's favorite dog had gotten run over, Nicka's sister had been stillborn, and this guy I had known for a really long time had switched schools, without telling me why or where he was going, and without saying goodbye either. We weren't that close with Micja, but after Laori's disappearance, we got to know her better. Now she was one of my best friends. If anything good could come out of losing a friend, it was making a new one.

"I know. I know, but everyday that she's gone… it's like everything is getting dimmer. I miss her so much."

"We all do," said Ary. "Laori was our best friend."

"You guys are bringing down the whole mood," said Nicka. She never liked talking about Laori's disappearance. "It's a gorgeous day, we have nothing to do, and the simple fact is- holy shit!" I turned around and looked where she was. Literally, a door had come out of the ground. It was huge, about a hundred feet tall. It loomed over us and for a split second, I felt like I had seen them somewhere before. A couple of places actually, but that was impossible.

"Give me the sword of Wildfire," said a dark voice. A thing floated over us, and we could tell it was angry, even if it had a mask on. "Master Talpa will reward me greatly for brining a Ronin weapon."

"Ronin weapon nothing," shot back Nicka. "We don't have any sword, now go away." Iclutched the strap of my bag tighter. He, it, whatever, wasn't going to get that katana. Not in this lifetime.

"So you are the ones that Lord Batamon warned of. The children of the Dynasty have returned. But why do you not call your armors? Surely a more befitting death would be in the armors of the stars."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Ariogya. "We don't have any 'armors of the stars'."

"Of course. You do not remember." Electricity surrounded me and I felt the ground fall away. My head throbbed with the power that ran through my veins, but it didn't kill me for some reason. I still gripped the handle of the katana for dear life. There was no way I was going to let this creep get it.

"Sarenbo!" shouted a new voice. "Release her!" I tried to move to see where the voice was coming from, but I was paralyzed and starting to lose conciseness. 

"She is not who you think she is, Wildfire." Wildfire! That brought me back long enough to shift around to the best of my ability and let the bag fall to the ground. Ariogya rushed forward and grabbed it. "All of them have secrets not even they know."

"Yeah, those usually qualify as secrets," said Nicka coldly. "Now let her go." Darkness… darkness…_no,_ I thought. _I can't pass out. I can't… damn it! Stay awake! _But I couldn't. I felt like all of my energy was dying away. So the haze closed in and-

_"Keshen, get back here! You can't go in there!"_

_FLASH!_

_"I swear, I'll never let you die, Kesha."_

_FLASH!_

_"Stay with me. Those Ronin trash don't stand a chance."_

_FLASH!_

_"I swear loyalty to you, Lord Talpa, as long I am alive."_

_FLASH!_

_"I can't do this, Keshen. I can't destroy them. They aren't the enemy."_

_"Nycoelle, they want to take away the Dynasty-"_

_"So what?! There's nothing here for us! Armors that do whatever the hell they please, leaders that have as much battle experience as we do, only they're older and the armors come directly from Master Talpa, so they get more respect and what do we have? Oriae's dead, Kaminta's dead, they're all dead! No matter what you say or what you do, Keshen Dragoen, they. Are. Dead. And we might as well be too, for all the rest of the Dynasty cares."_

_"They're not dead." Senaara ran in, out of breath. "They aren't dead. I just saw them. I swear, Keshen, it was them."_

_"They're… alive?" I asked. "But how? I watched Hariel die…"_

_FLASH!_

_He is dead_I was in the largest expanse of black nothingness possible. And a sad voice was slowly floating around me. _I killed him. I had no choice. It was what Master Talpa wanted…_

_Who are you??_

_I am who I was born to be… a traitor…_

_Why? Why are you a traitor?_

_How dare you call me a traitor?! You weren't there! You weren't part of the pain I caused for so many. My friends, my family, my love. All of them, dead. Because I can't control that damned armor!_

_What do you mean? What armor? Who are you?_

_I am Keshen Dragoen. I am the bearer of the Dark Fire Star Armor. It fights for control over the wearer. All it wants is blood and death. There's no reason that armor shouldn't be destroyed, but Talpa never listened to reason…_

_Why are you here?_

_I… don't know. Who are you?_

_I'm Brin. _

_What has happened?_

## Something attacked us for a katana. He called it the 'Wildfire Sword'

_Wildfire? So the Ronins still live… perhaps that is why I have come back…_

_Explain, Keshen._

_I am here to help you, apparently. Though why, I don't know._

## Help me with what?

_Destroying the Dynasty. _I was so confused… who were the Dynasty? How long had I been out? I couldn't leave my friends to worry so I pushed away the fog around my brain and opened my eyes. Everything was still dark. Oh no. What if I was blind, or something?! _Hey, genius, I think there may be cloth over your eyes. _

_Oh, thanks. _I sat up and the cloth fell into my lap. My head was throbbing, but it was still daylight out. Or maybe it was a different day. I didn't know. 

The feeling of being watched crept through the pain.

"You're awake." I turned my head and almost passed out again. No way… it couldn't be…

_"You're a dumb monkey brain, Kaji!" I said. I was probably six, so cut me some slack. He glared at me, then gave a small smile._

_"I know you are, but what am I?" Drat. What can you possibly ever say to that? I growled, knowing there was no way to get him back. He had won. Then again_,_ the one thing I had always been good at was the ever-popular retaliation with sticking out my tongue._

_So I did._

_"You're toast!" shouted Kaji angrily. He lunged over a desk at me, but I jumped back and ran into the hallway. I almost knocked over our teacher, Ms. Smyke. I heard her groan as we took off._

_"Not again." Kaji and I had a tendency to fight each other. Or, at least we had since the beginning of school, which was about a week before. _

_I was so busy looking over my shoulder, I hadn't noticed we weren't in the kindergarten hallway. In my elementary school, every grade had a hallway and kindergarteners stayed in theirs, first graders in theirs, second graders in theirs and after that, fourth and fifth graders were pretty much godlike, so they went as they pleased. And right at that moment, I was in the first grade hallway._

Out of nowhere, a kid came from one of the classrooms. I didn't see him and ended up knocking us both to the ground. In the next second, something grabbed my collar, hauled me to my feet, and punched me in the face. I recovered and was about to knock Kaji to the floor when something caught my arm.

_"Fighting never solved anything, especially not for little kids," said the guy I had run into. I pulled free and glared at him._

_"It's always solved plenty for me and I'm _not_ a little kid," I said._

_"Mr. Nukaog, Ms. Lijak! Stop that this instant!" Uh-oh. Busted. And worse, by the principal. "What is the meaning of this?!"_

_"Principal Miletillo," spoke up the kid quickly. "I saw what happened. He punched her first."_

_"Mr. Nukaog, didn't we have a conversation about being a gentlemen and not hitting young ladies?"_

_"But she's not a lady!" protested Kaji. Principal Miletillo grabbed his arm and hauled him off, kicking and complaining that it wasn't his fault. I looked at the guy with confusion as he motioned into an empty classroom. He sat in at group of desks and handed me a bandana._

_"Your lips bleeding," he said. I sat across from him and wiped my lip. Yup, that was blood._

_"You just saved my butt," I said slowly. "Why?"_

_"He _did_ hit you first," he answered. "What's your name?"_

_"I'm Brin," I replied. "And thanks."_

_"No problem. By the way, I'm Rowen." _My eyes widened in shock.

"Rowen!" I said in surprise. Then three years of anger set in. "You jerk!" I added furiously, throwing the cloth at him. I would have done more, but that was the first thing I could reach. "Why didn't you tell me you were switching schools?!"

"I didn't know how to tell you," he said. I glared at him.

"Rowen, you were one of the smarter of the people I knew. How could you not think of a way to tell me you were changing schools? And even at that, why didn't you call or something? I've lived in the same house for thirteen years."

"I knew you'd be angry."

"Well, no crap I'd be angry. You basically dropped off the face of Toyama."

"Here's my question: Why didn't you call me?" I grimaced, but he was right. I should've called him. 

"What the hell kinda question is that?" asked Ariogya, coming out from a door. "She was ten, genius. I remember that one too. It was right after Laori disappeared." She cast a worried glance at Micja, who was paying more attention to the floor then the rest of the people. Nicka came in after her.

"What I want to know is what is going on here? I'm having a serious case of déjà vu seeing Rowen again, and the fact of what happened with that one thing back there isn't helping my sanity."

"You never had any," I said, trying to get up. My legs threatened to collapse underneath me again and the look Rowen gave me didn't help. "Okay, we need to figure out what to do. I have thousand questions and I think you guys maybe able to help." One with black hair sat on the edge of a chair.

"Shoot," he said. 

"First of all, who, or what, was that thing that attacked us?"

"That was Sarenbo, a lackie for the Dynasty," he replied.

"I'm getting sick of evil lackies," muttered Nicka. "We've got them with Kaji and the Dark Stars and now this Dynasty thing too."

"I've got one," broke in Micja. "Names, please. We know Rowen, but who are the rest?"

"I'm Ryo."

"Kento."

"Cye."

"Sage."

"Ah, thanks," she answered. "What is the Dynasty?"

"A group of demons trying to destroy the mortal realm," said Mia, or who I recognized as Mia. "The Ronin Warriors are basically what stands in their way."

"And you guys are the Ronin Warriors," said Saki. I shot a look at Rowen.

"You too, Row?"

"Rowen of the Strata," he came back with. 

"Great," I muttered. "And did this have anything to do with you leaving?"

"A little, but I didn't really know then."

"Just great." I raised my hand to rub my temples and caught a look at my watch. "Oh, _shit." _I cursed. "I was supposed to pick up Briana from school three hours ago. My dad's gonna strangle me."

"Briana?" asked Rowen. "Who's Briana?"

"My adopted sister. Mia, is there a phone I can use?"

"Yes, in the kitchen." I walked past her, ignoring Rowen's confused look. Let my friends handle it. They knew enough about Briana to fill him in. That'll teach him to disappear on me. I picked up the telephone and dialed my home number. It was seven. My dad would be home by then.

It rang several times and when someone finally picked up, I wished I would've just gone home.

"Dad?" I asked.

"He's not able to come to the phone right now, can I take a message?" sneered a voice.

"Kaji!" I hissed, lowering my voice. "What are you doing?"

"I'll teach you to mess with the Dynasty. Your father and sister are our prisoners now."

"What?!" I shouted, then took my voice back down again. "What do you want, jackass?"

"I want your armor, my twin." There was the sound of air rushing past the phone, then my dad's voice.

"Brin, stay there," he said painfully.

"Dad! Don't worry, I won't let them-"

"No! You have to stay with the Ronins. They'll protect you."

"Shut up, old man, they can't protect her anymore then you can," snarled Kaji. "One hour, my twin. One hour." There was a click. I stood in a stunned silence. My armor, what did he mean by that? And how was I his twin?

_The armors split… so much pain and suffering… I remember fighting with myself… no, not myself, the evil of my armor…_

_Damn it, Keshen, make sense. My family's in trouble._

_I will show you, but you won't like it._ Images started rushing through my head. I was vaguely aware of dropping the phone and catching myself against the counter. They started to join, a small movie but more then that…

_"Destroy the Ronins, Keshen. It is your duty as my follower." I raised my katana, but I couldn't do it. Why? What part of me didn't want any more death, anymore pain?_

_Do as he says. Lord Talpa commands the blood of the Ronins said a dark voice in the back of my mind._

_**You stay out of this** I ordered silently. **This doesn't concern you. I won't kill them, no matter what Talpa says.**_

**__**_Blood… I can already see it… they have to die!!__ I lost control of my armor and it gained control of me. I stabbed at the Ronin of Strata, only I wasn't the one doing it. _

_**Stop this! I command you! You are my armor!**_

**__**_I command you to shut up. They will die. You are too weak to do it, so I will finish Lord Talpa's orders.__ A shout of pain broke the air as my katana hit home in his chest. The pain in his voice hushed the voice in my head. It had done what it was supposed to, it had killed a Ronin. The rest was up to the other armors._

_"Keshen… why…" I dropped to my knees at his side. Why was his voice familiar. No, please, god no, not him…_

_"Oriae," I said painfully. "I'm sorry. Please, Oriae, talk to me…"_

_You are weak. He is the enemy._

**_He was never the enemy! You killed him! Leave me, damn you! _**_"Armor of Dark Fir-" Something gripped my throat. It was my own hand! My armor was trying to kill me! **Go away! What don't you understand about that statement?! I don't need you anymore! You've killed everything I lived for!**_

**__**___Nor do I need you Immense pain… like nothing I had ever felt. I was being torn in two, ripped apart. I screamed as darkness closed around me._

__

__I jolted out of my trance and looked around. Had I screamed out loud? No, no one had come running. Carefully, I picked up the phone and saw my hand was shaking. I had to get a handle on myself. Kaji had my family…

"Are you okay?" asked Rowen as he came into the kitchen. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but Row…" my voice trailed off. "Kaji works for the Dynasty. He has my family and wants my armor. I don't know where it is, or I'd give it to him, especially after what it's done… I need to get home, Rowen." He looked stunned. Probably for several reason, but maybe because I was so calm. Kaji had my family and he would pay if they were hurt, I knew that, but it wasn't getting to me. "Guys-" I said, walking past him into the living room. "We have a problem."

Chapter 4(Nicka)

_Brin is a lot like Keshen._

_Yeah, but she's also a space cadet_ I answered to Linja, the newest voice in my head. Brin jumped over an abandoned volleyball in the yard and ran up the front stairs. The door opened almost on it's own.

"Stephen King, eat your heart out," muttered Saki, following her up the flight of stairs. 

Then all hell broke loose.

From somewhere above our heads, there was an explosion. I heard Saki scream and Brin swore loudly enough for the whole house to hear. Cye and Rowen were the first ones to break out of the stunned silence, then they ran after them. I grabbed Ariogya and hauled her up the steps to find a scene of chaos. Saki was pinned against the floor by a piece of wall and Brin was facing Kaji…

In an armor?

"Where's my dad?" she asked. I tore my gaze from him and saw Briana, curled up unconscious in the back corner. "Bring him back, Kaji, or I'll kick your ass again." He just laughed.

"There's a difference between you and me now, my twin. I am more powerful. My armor was formed of the hatred Keshen had for the Dynasty and yours… is merely the love she had for the innocence of the world." Brin clenched a fist, nodded, and then barked a cold laugh.

"You're so wrong," she said, her voice taking on a different sound then what I was used to. "I was there, kid. Your armor is of my hate for the Dynasty and Talpa, but mine is not only how much I cared for the mortals, but for my friends and the pain… of losing Oriae to the scum that is your armor. I will show you how much stronger those are." Kaji gave her a severe look, then turned his katana threateningly on Bree.

"Give me the armor of Fire Star or the child dies."

"I don't have the armor," she said firmly. "And if you lay a hand on her…" I stepped behind her and glared at Kaji.

"Don't start what you don't want to finish," I said coldly. "If you hurt Bree, I'll injure you."

"Your temper will be your downfall, my twin." I jumped and glared at Hario as he appeared, fully armored. "I will see to that."

"Don't push me, Hario," I growled. He just shook his head.

"I could destroy you right now… but I won't. I happen to like my armor and if you die, both of them are lost," he said. "That is an unfortunate thing indeed."

"Seriously?" asked Micja. 

"But, on the plus side," said Kaji with a wicked smile. "The connection goes to pain too." He resheathed his katanas and pulled out a dagger from his arm. One thought: He's an idiot. One reason: he stabbed _himself_ in the arm. 

Brin jerked back and choked down a scream. Red spread around her hand as she gripped the same spot he had driven the blade into. It soaked into the sleeve of her T-shirt and slid down her arm after a moment.

"You're insane," she muttered. "In. Sane. Bring back my dad, or you'll see just how much pain I can take."

"We don't have time for this, Kaji," said Hario coldly. "Master Talpa wants to give us our next job and now we have to get you healed too. Come on. And don't think you've all gotten off. Your families are guests of Master Talpa as well." He grabbed Kaji by his bad arm, making Brim grimace, then they both vanished. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"They both need to be kicked in the head," murmured Saki, holding her wrist painfully. Briana groaned and sat up.

"Daddy?" she asked. "Daddy?"

"It's okay, Bree," said Brin, kneeling down next to her. "It's okay." Briana burst into tears.

"They took him," she sobbed. "And Kaji said you were going to die. I thought I was alone again…"

"Shhh," said Micja, picking her up. "We'd never leave you." Brin stood up and leaned against the wall, pale.

"Ow," she said quietly. "Severe ow." Rowen walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She closed her eyes and started to nod, then opened them again.

"Son of a..." she trailed off as she pulled away from Rowen. Her hand came off of her arm and, other then a lot of blood, there wasn't a mark on it. "Well, that didn't take long," she mused. "Should've known _he_ couldn't last long with a cut that deep."

"You're one to talk," said Ariogya, kicking at piece of rubble. Brin shook her head and started for her bathroom. She cast a glance at me and nodded. I followed her and soon the other three girls did too. The guys got a clue and stayed out of it.

Brin stood over the sink calmly, not looking at any of us. 

"I'm assuming this is nuts," she said finally as I sat on the edge of the bathtub. "And I'm assuming I'm not the only one this is effecting."

_She's right._

_Hush. I know she is._

__"We're all involved," said Saki. "I think. Even Laori, thought I don't know why or where."

"We _are_ all involved," said Brin. "The guys we know as the Dark Stars are definitely that, the Dark Stars. They were created by the evil of the armors and somehow, we survived to create our own, otherwise they wouldn't be after them."

"That's all well and good," I said. "But this goes far beyond what we've ever known. The Dynasty's really powerful, and now they have six new armors, whereas we have six confused teenagers and five incredibly hot guys with armors."

"Pessimist," muttered Saki.

"Pacifist!" I shot back. She rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall.

"We have to tell the Ronins," said Micja. "It could get really ugly if we don't and somehow the Dynasty uses it against us."

"We'll tell them what we know," said Ariogya. "They don't need to know anymore then we do and-"

"We don't know a lot," I said. "In fact, we know very little. We know there was a split and now we've got completely evil doubles who all have their armors and we don't. This is a really big pain in the ass, okay? What about being normal kids? What about living our lives like we wanted?"

"Maybe this is how I want to live my life," said Brin slowly. "Maybe I want to fight the Dynasty, and maybe I like being half of an evil armor. But, you're right, this is a big pain in the ass. We don't know exactly what we're dealing with as far as the Ronins go. All we know is what we were told centuries ago: that they're the enemy. I'm mad at Rowen, but he's still my friend and there's no way I'm going to destroy him."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Saki after a moment of silence. "I won't fight against them, but I'll sure as hell fight with them."

"Me too."

"Yeah."

"I'm in," said Ariogya. "We won't fight them. That's for sure."

"Brin!" Briana burst into the room, consciouls and definetly a six year old. "Brin, Mia said we could all stay at her house!"

"All of us?" asked Saki. Mia came in behind her and nodded. "Thanks, but why?"

"If the Dynasty's after you," said Cye. "Then we're here to help."

"Not to mention you're families were taken," added Sage. Ariogya glared at him(get used to that.), then pushed past him out the door. 

"She's got a point," I said. "We should probably get some stuff from our houses." 

"We should go with you," said Ryo. "The Dynasty is still probably after you. Rowen, you stay here with Brin and Briana, Cye, you go with Saki, Kento with Nicka, Sage go with Ariogya, and Mia and I will go with Micja. We'll meet back at Mia's, okay?" The Ronins nodded and so did we. Other then Ariogya, who looked somewhere between angry and _slightly _happy. Only a little bit. Get used to that too.

"Fortunately, all of us live within walking distance," said Saki, heading out of the room. "I live down the street, Nicka lives across the way, Ariogya behind Brin, and Micja next door. It's been like that… forever." 

Chapter 5

Briana stood up just as Mia walked back into the house. She seemed a little upset, but I didn't say anything.

"Can I get a glass of water?" asked Briana.

"Sure," said Mia. Bree disappeared into the kitchen and we sat in silence for a while. Most of us. I was listening to Linja in the back of my mind.

_Why doesn't anyone seem to notice something was wrong with Wildfire?_

_Who knows? I don't know him well enough to care, frankly, and maybe the Ronins are used to this from him._

_Still, he could be attacked, or captured or,-_

_And Saki calls _me _a pessimist._

__"Hi guys." A boy appeared in the doorway, grinning. He couldn't have been more then Briana's age, as we soon found out.

"Hey Yuli," said Rowen. The door to the kitchen opened and Briana froze.

"You?" they both asked at the same time. 

"Hi Yuli," said Brin.

"Why are _you_ here?" asked Bree coldly. 

"Because these are my friends," he shot back. They started arguing and I looked over at Brin.

"What's going on?" asked Rowen.

"Briana and Yuli go to the same school," she explained. "They've had some fights in the past. Nothing real big, but I know who he is." The two children stopped, both in the middle of sentences and Briana stalked off angrily. 

"So what's up, Yuli?" asked Sage.

"Nothing," answered Yuli. "But where was Ryo going in such a hurry?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, he and White Blaze were headed towards town."

"He's probably going to fight Sarenbo on his own," said Sage, standing up. "We have to find him."

"You guys go find Ryo," said Brin. "He might need the white armor."

"What about you?" asked Kento.

"Do you think we can't handle ourselves?" I questioned. "We've known these guys since kindergarten. They may have armors, but that doesn't mean we're afraid."

"Come on," said Cye. "He could be in trouble." They, plus Mia and Yuli, ran outside toher jeep. Just as they drove way and Briana came back downstairs, something in the back of my mind literally froze. I felt cold and worried at the same time. 

"It's far from over," said Hario. Something grabbed me by the back of my shirt and I heard Saki shout, but it was too late. Suddenly, I was dangling over the edge of a cliff above absolutely _nothing_. "You think you can defeat me?"

"If I'm on solid ground, probably, but you seem to have an unfair advantage right now," I said, struggling to get a grip on his hand. Someone swore and she sounded exactly like Brin.

"Put.Me. Down. You sad excuse for a tin can!!" she hollered. A Dynasty soldier had her arms pinned behind her and no matter how much she fought, she couldn't break free. "Where's Kaji? Or are you in charge of this bull shit trap?"

"Kaji doesn't know of this. You're both too much trouble to keep alive. "

"And you'd rather lose your armor?" asked Brin coldly, twisting one last time to no avail. "I knew you were a fool, Hario, but this takes the cake."

"You won't be dead. Until we find a way to re-combine the armors, you will be in the Dynasty. And you will suffer deeply too."

"That's what you think." My hand caught his wrist and I kicked his stomach. He jerked back in surprise and my feet found the ground quickly. Pain knotted my middle, but I ignored it. "If you want me to fight for the Dynasty, you'll have to kick my ass first, Hario."

"That can be done," he said coldly, gripping his stomach in one hand and his yari in the other. "Die, bitch!" He dove for me, but I dodged aside and he headed directly over the side. I grabbed his wrist. "Let me go!"

"If you die, I lose my armor before I get it," I said. "You're a jerk, but even you don't deserve to die like this."

"Let me go!" My hand was slipping. Brin hollered and there was a crash of metal. Heat raged from her and a bright glow surrounded her. I put my attention on getting Hario on the ground. But still, he kept sliding. 

_Why are you doing this?! Isn't he the enemy? He kidnapped your family for the DYNASTY!_

_I know, Linja, I know, but I can't let him die. It's not a fair way to die. I have my honor._

"Let me go," he growled. I struggled to keep a hold of his wrist.

"No way, pal. You're evil, but you're still human." I couldn't keep a hold… he was still slipping…

In the corner of my mind, something opened. A wall, a block, I don't know what to call it, but a sudden surge of memories that would've sent me reeling if I didn't have my focus on keeping Hario alive. 

"I… need… my armor!" His hand slid free and I almost fell after him. No! he couldn't die. "Water Star!" I yelled harshly. "Tay Shi!"I closed my yari around his arm and dragged him back onto the ground. He glared at me, then vanished. I fell to my knees with an exhausted sigh. Brin resheathed her katanas and watched the mist disappear. We _were_ on a cliff, but it wasn't as high as I had thought. And there was a pond underneath us. No wonder Hario had said to let him go. He wouldn't have died. 

"We have… our armors," said Brin in amazement."Is that a good thing?"

"Since we have the good half… maybe it is." There was a yell from the beach below us. I looked over the edge and saw Rowen and Kento, shouting and waving at us. 

"Are you okay?!" asked Rowen.

"Give us a minute!" called Brin. Her armor disappeared and she walked calmly to the edge of the cliff. "Come on, let's see how they like this."

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously. She grinned and jumped off into the pond. That confused me, then I got the basic idea when I saw Rowen pale slightly. Okay, so it was fun. I grinned and followed suit. By the time I got to shore, Rowen was somewhere in between reprimanding her and completely worried. 

"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked. She shook her head and brushed her fingers through her wet hair.

"I'm fine, trust me," she said. "Soldiers aren't that big of a problem with an armor."

"You got your armor?" asked Kento. I nodded. 

"Why would I be wearing a sub armor if I didn't?" I said. "Brin, do me a favor. Next time, don't jump off a cliff, kay? That's a little dumb."

"I know. I wanted to see Rowen's reaction But by the time I reached the surface, he had recovered." She sighed. "It was fun though."

"Are you insane?!" asked Rowen. "How was that fun?!"

"It just was. Do you have a problem with that?" she shot back. I groaned. This was familiar. Think third-fourth grade, and they still act like it.

"Can we go now?" I wondered, turning around. "Believe me, Kento, this could get ugly." He looked over my shoulder and grinned.

"Not quite, Nicka." I turned back and was immediately surprised. Brin had somehow stopped fighting with him and was kissing him. He looked astonished for a split second, then kissed her back.

"Okay, that's it. They're the perfect couple. Neither of them has any sane thought when their around each other." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at Kento, who was grinning. "What?"

"Nothing," he answered. "You just made perfect sense though." I smiled warmly and we both started to walk back towards Mia's.

THE END

_Heehee! I finally got it done! For all the months that I've been writing this… Yah! Okay, if you haven't guessed, I'm Shadow_Moon_Sedai and this is my first Ronin fic that I've _posted_. I have probably forty at my comp at home, but no Internet there since my mom thinks it's the root of all evil. Anyway, big. big big BIG thanks to ShadowRand and Shadow_Crystal who sat through all of my ranting about my stories, my life, etc in general… I plan to continue with this series for awhile, taking it from this trilogy. If at any point in time it becomes confusing or too long, just tell me and I'll try to unconfuse you all, 'kay? Okay. Um, on a side note, I'd like to make some blanenet plugs: read the Wheel Of Time by Robert Jordan. It's a little messed up in the prologue of the first one, but it gets itself together, trust me. And once you've at least read the first one, go to [http://www.wheeloftime.org][1] and talk to other people who've read the book. Hmm, maybe I should thank them to. Alright, I will. Thanx to Ulricha, Davian(why I'm thanking this guy is beyond me. He's weirder then I am), BlackRider, and the whole lot for sitting through my online rants about my life, Bob, and my spacebar being frozen. Love you all! And thanks to the peoples who are reading this, 'cause it's longer then it should be… okay. I'm done know._

   [1]: http://www.wheeloftime.orgl/



	2. Default Chapter Title

A/N: Ahh! Okay, that last story had some severe moments… like the 'through'- 'threw' moment (which SR pointed out. Thanx). But I'm glad people reviewed it, so… thanx to all who did that too. Disclaimer thing times 2(one for the last part as well {~can't believe she missed that~}): I DO NOT OWN RONIN WARRIORS! I'm not sure who does, but I'm _really _liking that person right now 'cause RW is the best show ever! ~happy dance~ Oh! Any of the characters I've made up are completely mine, so ask if you want to use them, 'kay? THANKZ!

Blood of the Eternal Star: Seasons of the Armors Trilogy: Fall's Electric Ice

I'm Ariogya Sheekai. Call me Ary, Ariogya I don't care either way. Just don't call me a dumb blonde. Why? I get enough of that from Grant (my evil double and wearer of the Corrupt Ice armor). He's gonna get it. Anyway, I have shoulder length blond hair (duh) and brown eyes, plus the Ice Star armor. Unlike Brin and Nicka, I don't technically have a boyfriend. But if Sage of Halo thinks he can protect me from my own destiny… I don't care if he _is_ a Ronin Warrior…

I'm Sakimata Demhi. Saki, Sakimata, doesn't matter. Unlike Ary, names don't really get to me. I'm a sort of pacifist, but I'll fight if I have to. My hair is black, long and always braided. I can't stand in my face, but I don't want to cut it either. My eyes are green (Cye calls them Emerald Green, but… I won't go into that) and my armor is Lightening Star, twin of Wicked Lightening. Trust me, he deserves it…

Prologue (Ariogya)

"Saki! You're up!" yelled Brin. Nicka grinned maliciously.

"This should be interesting," she said.

"Shut up, Nikki," said Saki defensively. "If I remember, you were the one that _threw_ the ball in the first place (A/N: Hey! It's the right threw!)." Nicka shrugged.

"Maybe, but you're the one that had the bruise for a month."

"Can we do this?" I asked. "While we're young?"

"Ready?" asked Ryo. Saki picked up the bat and nodded.

"Maybe I'll get a pop fly and it'll hit Nee," she said with a wild grin. Instead, when she did hit the 'ball', she slammed it far right, directly _at_ me. I reached up to grab it, but it suddenly stopped in mid air. Cold chills raced through me and I snarled angrily.

"Oh, don't seem so disappointed, Ary," said Grant. The 'ball' became the Jewel of Life again as he passed it to Kaji. "Really, this is only a social call."

"What do you morons want?" growled Brin, her sub armor appearing.

"I knew we forgot to do something," added Nicka. "Like taking out the trash." Briana and Yuli ducked behind Bree's sister and Brin pretty much got that protective looks she does when she feels _anyone_ is threatened (she still does, by the way). Kaji's lip curled in a malicious smile as he tightened his grip on the Jewel. It shattered and the pieces rained down around me.

"The staff is ours, the Jewel of Life is gone, and you… don't stand a chance."

Chapter 1

I stalked angrily into the kitchen. _That… That…. That…!_ I thought heatedly.

_That what, Ary?_

_Trust me Senaara, you don't want to know._

_Well, know it's a little late, don't you think?_

Geez! I try so hard to find some sanity and yet, I have yet to get there. Will I ever get away from you people?!

_Not me, no._

_I thought as much. _"Hey, Saki, Cye, Have you guys figured out what's for dinner yet?" Saki's head snapped in my direction and she quickly pulled back from Cye's arms. Her eyes found the cutting board, but there wasn't any need to do anything on it, since we didn't know what dinner was yet.

"Oh, um, hey Ary. It's, uh, either chili, or, uh, soup," she said.I put my hands on my hips, a thought racing through my mind. Not a particularly fun one either.

"Okay then. Cye, why don't _you_ see what everyone _else_ wants?" He cast a glance at Saki, then walked past me out of the kitchen. At least _someone_ was capable of getting a freaking clue. I won't divulge who wasn't, just back up, read the intro and take a wild guess… "Would you care to explain the hell _that_ was?" Pause.

"Am I nuts?" she asked, turning to the sink. I headed for the refrigerator and opened the door. For fall, it was sure hot.

"Not completely, no," I answered. "You just like Cye." She nodded, then smiled.

"Like you like Sage?" I growled.

"Don't test me. I do _not_ like Sage."

"Right, of course you don't. This coming from the one who stated the very first day we met them that Sage was cute, intelligent, and brave, as well as a clear thinker in battle."

"Saki, he _meditates_ in battle."

"So?"

"One of these days, I hope he gets run through by a Dynasty soldiers," I said matter of factly. She frowned.

"You don't…"

"I do."

"Why?"

"He's an overprotective jerk! He thinks I'm six and I need to be protected!"

"Technically, you do, since you don't have your ar-"

"You say armor and I'll run you through with that knife."

"Okay, I won't say armor. But Ary, think about it, Sage wouldn't be so protective if he didn't care about you."

"Brin said the same thing-"

"Poor Brin. Where did you bury the body?"

"She's alive. It's just… he gets on my nerves!"

"They're guys. That's what they're supposed to do. Promise me one thing, though. Don't rip his throat out until you absolutely have to."

"Saki, have I ever made promises I can keep?"

Chapter 2

"I got it!" Sarean and I both dove for the ball. One of us managed to hit it and it cleared the net just as the gym teacher blew the whistle. 

"Watch it next time, Ariogya," said Sarean as she stood up and walked back to the locker room. I chose to stay on the floor. It was much more comfortable then getting up and having to fight the urge to hit Sarean.

"Nice hit, Ary," said Brin. "Come on." She offered her hand to help me up, but I didn't take it. I still stood up, but without any help. "So are you coming?"

"Huh?"

"Where have you been the last hour?!"

"Sorry, I've been a little-"

"Out of it?" suggested Nicka. "Yeah, I'll agree with that. Guy troubles, Ar?"

"You're pushing the wrong buttons," I growled. "Don't. Just stop there before I hit you. Now what were you talking about, Brin?"

"We're all going to a movie. Mia, Ryo, Kento, Nicka, Saki, Micja, Rowen, pretty much everyone other then White Blaze, but only because they don't allow large white tigers into the theater."

"Sure, why not? Are we picking up the kids today?"

"We're all meeting there." The end of the day bell rang and people started to race out of the locker room. "Sixth hour gym on a Friday afternoon. What could be better?"

"Not knowing the Dynasty exists?" suggested Micja quietly. Brin nodded, then whipped her head towards the other end of the school.

"Or not knowing Kaji exists?" she asked, shaking herself. 

"He's just a low down pain in the ass," said Nicka, snapping out of her own trance. "You'll get used to it."

"If you say so." The sunlight was warm as we walked past the busses. I stalled the let some people get on and the announcement on the radio drifted through the air.

"… And scientists are still baffled by the strange freezing of a volcano outside of town that happened earlier this morning…" Brin stooped mid stride and turned back to look at us. I didn't want to ruin the already dying mood, but I was getting an overall feeling of ickiness in my stomach. Something was about to go terribly, terribly wrong.

Chapter 3(Saki)

I stretched out underneath the shadow of a tree. It was a good day to be in the shade: too warm not to be and too hot to be inside. Brin was talking with Mia, Ryo, and Rowen, Nicka and Kento were(what else?) eating some chips she had found in her backpack, Ary was sitting as far from Sage as she dared, which was approximately the swing next to his, even if she was avoiding any form of conversation, and Cye was leaning against the tree behind me.

"Those two," I muttered. "They're the perfect couple, only they don't see it."

"I don't know Ary very well," said Cye(with the accent that I absolutely adored). "But Sage can be pretty stubborn."

"Ary too. She was born stubborn." A breeze blew in, blowing my bangs and sending a shiver down my spine.

"What's wrong?" asked Cye. 

"Nothing, I just didn't… expect a breeze, that's all." The doors to the school opened and little kids started to come out. Briana and Yuli were last, wrapped up in some argument(as usual), but their immediate path was blocked by a taller then normal fifth grader and two boys about their age. "Oh, this figures."

"What?"

"That's Keya, Koma, and Giran. Keya and Koma are Kaji's younger sibs and Grant is Giran's older brother."

"Oh."

"Where do you think you're going, twerps?" asked Keya coolly. Briana held up her hand, finished her sentence, then faced her opponent.

"Look, Keya, we don't have the time today. We're meeting my sister and some friends."

"Don't you know who you're talking too?!" raged Keya. Briana sighed.

"Fine. We'll do this _your_ way. You're Keya, all powerful fifth grader(who's been held back more times then I can count on one hand) and younger sister to Kaji, an eighth grader. No offense, Keya, but I knew. It's just that I didn't care." At this point in time, Yuli took a step back and shook his head sadly. This was apparently something he had seen before.

"You little- Koma, Giran, get her." Both boys dove at her, but she somehow managed to pin both boys on the ground with their arms twisted behind their backs.

"Does insanity run in your family?" asked Rowen in genuine shock. Brin smiled and nodded. 

"Of course it does. Where have you been?"

"Listen, Keya, like I said, I don't have the time today. There's too much I have to do." She let the boys go and they scrambled to their feet, then stood next to their leader. "We go through this everyday: you get angry, send those two after me, or Yuli on occasion, and we always win, so get a clue and get off my back." Keya was, to say the least, not happy. She lunged, but Briana dodged and then it became two against one when Yuli tripped her while innocently looked at the sky. I almost choked trying not to laugh too loudly. 

"Hey Yuli!" shouted Ryo. "Briana! Come on, let's go!" 

"'Kay!" Briana yelled back, grabbing Yuli's arm. "Let's hurry, Yules. I don't want to miss the movie."

"Okay, I'm coming," he said. 

"What was _that_ all about?" asked Brin when they reached us. Briana shrugged.

"Everyday, Keya tries to get on my bad side. She usually does." Then she giggled. "But it was kinda funny watching them run from the soldiers today."

"What?!"

"Yeah," said Yuli, slightly confused. "Some Dynasty soldiers attacked today at recess, but Sage and Rowen took care of them." Brin crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the two Ronins, who were trying to find something else to talk about.

"And _when_ were you planning on telling us this?" she asked. 

"I knew," said Ryo. Brin sent him a glare that said he should just shut his mouth. Ary was pretty much focused on glaring at Sage with all her might.

"It wasn't a big thing," he tried to explain. "It was just a few random soldiers-"

"Who attacked a school full of children!" she exploded. "For the love of- what part of being a team doesn't get through your head?!" Then she took a deep breath and picked up her backpack. "Sorry, but I think I'll skip the movie." She started for the forest and disappeared.

_She's using the shadows,_ explained Nycoelle. _She can be miles away in two seconds._

_Great, but she could be walking right into a trap. _The coldness came back over me, but this time, it had a voice.

"Pity, really," said Micael. "I was hoping the downfall of Ariogya wouldn't be so easy for Grant."

"What?!" I yelled. "Oh no! You wouldn't!"

"Watch me, Sakimata. We _will_ be vic- ow!" Whatever he had been trying to say was cut off by my fist in his face. Stars danced in my vision, but I didn't care. Sage and Ary had to be stopped.

Before it became too late.

Chapter 4

Cye grabbed my arm just as I reached the road.

"Saki, calm down. We'll find them," he said.

"I just don't want to lose my friends," I said. Micael's psycho laugh filled the air. "Bastard! Show yourself!"

"Why do you wish so much to die?" he asked.

"It's not _my_ wish to die. You're the one that's trying to kill my friends." He appeared, bringing none too few soldiers with him. Cye, in his sub armor, stood between me and my double. To say the least, I wasn't happy with him, or Micael.

"Brave words," said Micael coolly. "But do you really think you can save your friends? The Ronin of Torrent and an armorless _bitch_? Is your stupidity level really that high?"

"You'd be surprised," I muttered. "Cye, leave Micael to me. You take care of the soldiers."

"Are you sure?" I nodded as the soldiers attacked.

"Hey! You want me, Micael? Come and get me!" He dove for me and missed. "Wow, even with your armor, your still slow as rock. Dumb as one too." 

"Wicked Lightening Shocker!" I barely dodged this time. Okay, so I was trying to get on his bad side, but think of this: if he was angry, he wasn't focused. I had seen it before and I would make sure to use it against him.

Suddenly, I was paralyzed. In all of his rage, he was succeeding in hitting me. I gripped a tree branch over my head, but I still kept falling into darkness.

_"Listen, Kamigara, I know you care, but this _is_ my decision."_

_"I know, Nycoelle, but what do you think, means more to us? You or the Dynasty?" I glared at him, then jumped off the edge of the rock. Keshen Dragoen, Harial, and Keshen's friend, Oraie, were walking over towards us. They were refugees from a village that had been attacked by the Dynasty. I didn't want the same thing happening to my family and friends._

_"The Dynasty will turn anything and everything against you," said Harial quietly. Keshen glared at him behind his back, then crossed her arms over her chest angrily. He saw none of this._

_The ground started to shake. Kamigara caught me before I could fall over, but I pulled away from him as the impossibly tall doors rose from the ground._

_"You have decided," said the odd looking spirit. I nodded._

_"I will join Talpa in the Dynasty." Kamigara opened his mouth to say something but I stopped him. "Your destiny lies on a separate path." Badamon turned his attention towards Keshen._

_"Your delay must end, Keshen Dragoen." She stepped past Harial and stood by me._

_"I will not let this world die because I am stubborn," she said. Then she shot me a weak smile. "I guess we have something common after all."…_

__Fury ran through me, jolting every part of my body with a new electricity. I gripped the handle of my nodaochi and struggled to my feet. Micael had given up on torturing me. Instead, he and several of his soldiers pals, were beating up Cye, who had obviously been caught off guard after I past out. Knowing him, he had tried to protect me.

_Guys! They're all morons!_

_Kamigara tried to protect me from my own destiny, _said Nycoelle sadly. _And in the end, I killed him._

_You can't help the past, Nycoelle, _I told her. _You can only take from its mistakes. _"Stop it!" I screamed at Micael. "You came here to beat me up, not him!"

"So you're awake," he said contemptuously. "And armored."

"Observant. Now, try some of _my_ power. Lightening Blade Shock!" Somehow, I managed to push all of my strength out. Micael knew Cye's life was more important then mine and if he died, I would die, and that would be the end of it. The coward! He ran from battle, taking the soldiers with him. My sure kill slammed into a tree, destroying it in one blow. I sent my armor away and ran to help Cye up.

"Saki?" he said weakly. I grinned and nodded. 

"Hi."

Chapter 5(Ariogya)

_Ary, stop, you'll get lost!_

_I don't care! What do you want from me?! Do you want me to turn back and ask _Sage_ for help?!_

_Just slow down. He doesn't want you to get hurt._

_Well, maybe I want to get hurt! _Something caught my arm and I fought the urge to hit whoever it was. I really wish I had.

"Ary, calm down," said Sage. 

"Leave me alone!" I tore from his grasp. "Why can't you just let me be?"

"Because the Dynasty's after you-"

"Let them come! I can take on Talpa all by myself!"

"You're not thinking, Ary, you have to calm down." 

_Listen you him, he's right. For once._ I took a deep breath, dropped my backpack and slapped Sage as hard as I good. He grabbed my arm before I could again. 

"What did you do that for?" he asked calmly. I ripped my arm away.

"_That_ was because just once, I'd like to see you lose your temper."

"Maybe I'd like to see you keep yours." That stopped me. I wanted to hit him again, of course, but… he had a point.

"Why do you insist that I need a baby sitter?" I asked, trying to calm my nerves. Probably not the best question to calm my rage, but it was the first thing that popped into my head.

"I don't think you need a baby sitter," he started. "But if I didn't try and keep from getting hurt, I wouldn't deserve to be a Ronin Warrior." Who called it? _Now_ he definitely needed to be slapped again. Did he really expect me to believe that he felt it was his duty to protect me? HA!

"Halo, you're nuts," I said. "I don't need protection from _anyone_, even you. Once I find my armor, I'll be able to take care of _myself_."

"I know, but… what if you don't find your armor? I mean, before it's too late to have it."

"Like if I die before I get my armor?" I sighed. "Sage, I have a better chance of being hit by a semi truck in the middle of an ocean, okay? My armor is still connected to Grant's and really doubt Talpa, or any of the Dynasty, are ready to let an armor go."

"You'd be surprised." A cold wind blew through the trees, brining with a shower of ice chunks. Sage shielded me from the attack, but took some pretty hard hits. It took me a minute to fully grasp the fact that he was unconscious and bleeding badly. Damn him! Why couldn't he just be selfish for once?!

"You've gone too far, pretty boy," I said, standing up. "_Way_ too far."

"Oh, is the poor Ronin dying? I'm sorry, maybe I should've asked first!" I dove for him, but my feet were frozen to the ground. "You've got a minute to declare your loyalty to Master Talpa before you're fresh frozen and switch sides anyway."

"I'll never fight against my friends," I said, fighting down shivers. He laughed as the ice overtook me, cutting off my air supply. I would rather die then go with him… darkness over came me and I called death with my heart.

"C_all you armor!" yelled Veria._

_"I won't," I said. "Death is a hundred times better then calling that damned armor!"_

_"Do it, Senaara," said Keshen. She supported to from my side, but my legs were collapsing beneath me. _Damn soldiers, _I thought. _Can't aim their bloody arrows._ "You'll die if you don't."_

_"I don't care! I won't fight against them! They want to save the mortal realm, which is the same reason _we're_ here in the first place!"_

"Stop living in the past!" said Linja. "Our paths are different. We have to destroy them before they get a chance to fight Master Talpa. Which do you think is better? Being destroyed by us… or him?" 

__I screamed, shattering my icy grave. My hand gripped my spear and I felt tears on the edge of my eyes. "They" were the Ronins of Senaara's time. Harial, Sammaei, Oriae, Kamigara, Nahar, and Mienan. 

"You've gone way over the limit," I said to Grant. He paled slightly. "Didn't expect this, did you, pretty boy?"

"For a dumb blonde, you gain your armor fast," he shot back with a sneer. "But if you fight me, who'll protect poor Halo?" I glanced at Sage's still unconscious form. The bleeding had stopped, but I knew deep down that Grant was a born opportunist: any chance to kill off a Ronin and he would take it without a second chance.

_Just once,_ I thought, walking over to sage. _Let me protect you._

_Courage _My armor shield formed around him, but in the process, I lost my spear. Still, the fight wouldn't be over 'till one of us, me or Grant, was defeated. 

_Your daggers are your last hope,_ said Senaara. She had a slight hint of sadness in her voice.

_Yup._ I unsheathed the twin daggers from my back. One of the common things with the Star Gaze armors are a pair of daggers that can use the armor's power just like the main weapons.

Gotta love it.

"Ice… Dagger… Strike!" I yelled. Six identical daggers lanced the air, coming from behind me. Grant dodged all but one that slammed into his leg. At the same time, my own leg collapsed beneath me, a clean slice straight through. 

"What pain I fell, you feel," he said, leaning on his spear. "Did Brin's little accident with Kaji's dagger not teach you this?"

"It taught me plenty," I answered, resheathing one dagger. "Fell this, bastard." I stabbed the last blade into the cut, and shocks of pain tore through me, but it was worth the look of intense agony on Grants face.

"This is far from over, Ariogya Sheekai," he said, vanishing. Everything as quiet, then Sage groaned. I sent my armor away and struggled to my feet. The pain was ebbing, but it would last as long as Grant let it. 

"Ary," muttered Sage. "Your armor…"

"_Now_ will you let me fight my own battles?" I asked, sending my sub armor away too. I tore a strip from my shirt and wrapped it around a deep gash on his back. Damn Grant… damn Sage… Damn them both!

"I guess I have to," he admitted. "You're already hurt, so I failed…"

"Don't _even_," I threatened, jerking hard on the knot. He winced, then smiled. Rrgghh, damn his smile too. It was incredibly cute. And I was just noticing this. Call me blind, call me blonde, I don't care anymore. They're all true. 

The End

_Hi again! Okay, this _was_ shorted then the last one, but only because I didn't have so much to explain this time around. Yet again, I shallthank people. Thank you to tiger, the first person to review(even though ShadowRand had read it before) and rowin's fan/crazy mew/ Anime fan(I think) for giving me encouragement. And yes, BIG thanks to ShadowRand and Shadow_Crystal, though she needs to be beaten with a ten foot psychic pole. Hmm… speaking of beating with poles, I have to go. Bya! ~walks away to beat Mr. Wurst with the aforementioned pole because he screwed me up in auditions on **PURPOSE**~_


	3. Default Chapter Title

Blood of the Eternal Star-Seasons of the Armors Trilogy: Winter Gale of Rock

I'm Micja Nurama. Unlike my other friends, I don't have anything in common with Veria, the voice in my head. She's a little off the edge nuts, whereas, I consider my self to be quite calm and reserved. I have my hair in four braids, which have no particular placing on my head, and my eyes are dark hazel. But, unlike the others, I have more in common with my double, Zarin, then just the fact that we use bow and arrow as our weapons...

I'm Laori Nurama. I know at this point, you've heard very little from me. In fact, all you know is I'm Micja's cousin who suddenly disappeared in the fifth grade. Well, guess what? I'm back. I like to have my hair short, about my chin, but loose. Occasionally, it gets annoying, but it never blocks the almost-dark-black that is my eyes. There's this little thing with me: I'm very close with a warlord. In actuality, Dais isn't all that bad, just wrong minded. If I can get him to see that Talpa's the father of all scum, then I've done something good with my life.

Prologue(Micja)

We were dying, plain and simple. Somehow, they had gained the upper hand and were beating us. Us! It was really unfair. Aren't the good guys always supposed to win?

_It's a trail, Micja. The good guys win only after they have earned it,_ said Veria. I shook my head and pulled out another arrow. The soldier glowered from his helmet as he did the same. Nicka collapsed behind me, her armor disappearing back into it's orb. She was the last. Only me and Brin stood now. Laori was almost dead, Saki unconscious and being hauled away by the soldiers, and Ariogya was struggling to stay up without her armor. They didn't have the strength left to fight.

_Spirit We can do this... don't give up._

_Honor. I can't. He's taking all of my energy. I'm sorry..._

_Courage. Damn him! I'll kill him yet!_

_Faith. I... can't... let him win…_

_Devotion. Don't give in, you two. You're the only hope we have left._

_Compassion. Lovely. What are we supposed to do?_ Brin's armor glowed and there were small flashes from the hands of the others. Could it be? Were we... was it possible... the guys had a mega armor... did we?

_Don't do it, Micja,_ said Veria. I ignored her and let the arrow fly to distract the soldier. He dodged aside as I sent my armor away, then my sub armor. The glow brightened and surrounded Brin. The soldier loosed his arrow and immense pain ripped through my side. He groaned and fell to one knee, clutching his ribs, but I still stood. Maybe I was too stunned... he had actually shot me. Blood seeped from the wound, soaking into my shirt. Suddenly, the ground was a lot closer....

Ariogya yelled and staggered to her feet.

"Don't you dare die," she said harshly, kneeling by me. Sage came and supported her shoulders until she gained some balance. "Can you heal her?" He hesitated.

"There might be too much poison in her blood from the arrow," he said quietly. I shook my head as darkness settled over my mind.

"No... the poison's always been there... always." 

Chapter 1

"Ready, Micja?" I nodded and raised my violin up from my lap. The orchestra teacher lifted his conducting stick and I listened carefully to the rest of the group.Somewhere, someone hit a flat note, but kept going. Slowly, everything quieted down, save the other violinists and I started to play. It took all of three seconds, to me, before the rest joined in and my solo had ended. Still, it gave me a sense of pride that I did it and didn't back down. 

From over the director's shoulder, I saw Brin and Nicka. They both waved, then Brin tapped her watch. I looked at my own and saw it was almost nine. I had been at rehearsal for five hours and not even known it. Still, I had to wait for the rest of the music to stop before I whispered it to Mr. Skolten. 

"Is it really? Well, then, I'll see you all tomorrow." Everyone started to pack up and my friends came out and jumped down into the pit.

"Hiya," said Brin. "Having fun?" I just nodded. "Come on. The others, more or less, are outside."

"Who's less?" I asked, picking up my violin case.

"Everyone other then Mia and Rowen. Bree and Yuli are stuck in their rooms for trying to kill each other, Cye and Saki are out, probably at the movies, and they managed to drag Sage and Ary along, and Ryo and Kento were having dinner the last I checked," said Nicka. "Now come on. Cye made some kind of beef noodle casserole that's really good and I want to get some before Kento eats it all."

"He's _your_ boyfriend," said Brin.

"Yeah, but he has the manners of a puppy." We laughed as the cool night air wrapped around us and sent shivers down my spine. "Geez, it just keeps getting colder."

"Yeah, but you know Ary's loving this," said Brin. I nodded and slid into the back

seat next to Nicka. 

"Hi," I said.

"Hey Micja," said Rowen. I nodded to him too. I'm usually not one to talk, unless it's to my close friends.

_You don't consider the Ronin a close friend?_ asked Veria sarcastically.

_No, not as close as Brin and Nicka._ From the memories Veria had showed me, she had really been the only one who wanted to Ronins to die. She was very committed to Talpa and the Dynasty, even if she knew he was wrong. I guess that's what she gets for being the kanji of compassion.

_Oh yeah, make it my fault. It's your kanji now too, you know._

_Not until I get my armor, it isn't,_ I shot back, looking out the window. Dark (normal) clouds were hanging low over the ocean, a sign of snow coming. It was only a week until Christmas, actually, and we hadn't seen any of the white crystals yet. Ary was a little ticked about the lack of snow, but the cold was keeping her temper at bay. She hadn't really threatened Sage since the clouds had come, even if they just stayed over the water.

"Does anyone know what I wanted to do this weekend?" asked Nicka suddenly. We all looked over at her and she grinned sheepishly. "Well, I knew this morning..."

"Shopping," said Brin quickly. "You always forget when you want to go shopping." Then she frowned. "Come to think of it, that's what I was going to this weekend too." I chuckled.

"Brin, you have a hard time recalling your own name sometimes," I pointed out. She laughed.

"Yeah, that too." The car suddenly jerked to a stop. "What the-"

"It's the Dynasty!" said Mia. "There are some soldiers coming up the road right now!"

"What?!" asked Brin and Nicka in unison. 

# Life

# Spirit

# Honor

"Talpa's pulling a load of bull shit," said Nicka. I got out of the car so she could get out too. "He knows I'm hungry."

"I don't think he knows how pissed you get when you don't eat, though," said Brin. Rowen rolled his eyes. "What was that for?" 

"Your entire lack of sanity," he answered. "Let's go. This shouldn't take too long."

"Nope." All three of them ran off to fight and felt Veria's familiar envy, but there was something more....

Chapter 2

I turned my head towards the trees. What was this? It was like someone was trying to tell me something. I got back out of the jeep and started towards the forest. 

"Micja, where are you going?" asked Mia.

"I'll be fine," I told her. "I just saw something and I want to get a closer look."

"Okay... but be careful." I walked carefully into the trees, heading in the general direction of east, away from the fight. Veria was gleeful in the back corner of my mind, sensing a battle we might actually participate in.

_No way_, I told her. _I'm not going to fight anyone._

_How did I end with a pacifist?!_ she yelled angrily. _It's not right. I want to fight! I want to see my enemy fall from my hands again. I want-_

_I want you to shut up_, I snapped. _I'm not going to fight anyone, got it?_ The trees ended at a clearing and I faced the only person I didn't want to meet by myself in the middle of a forest: Zarin Ceruan of the Acid Air armor. He wasn't angry, like Brin said she always felt when she was around Kaji, or insane like what Saki said about Micael... he almost seemed happy. 

"I've been waiting for you to come," he said softly. He wasn't in his armor, or even his subarmor. "Are you ready?" I knew exactly what he wanted.

"You took my cousin from me," I whispered, suppressing my anger. "And yet, you're more then willing to give me a chance to see her again. Why?"

"You and I have a lot in common, Micja. Including that we've both lost family in this life. My time in the Dynasty hasn't changed my heart anymore then it has Laori." I closed my eyes against tears. Out of all of the Dark Stars I had known growing up- Kaji, Hario, Grant, Micael, Wes and Zarin- he had always been the nicest. There had been times when I wasn't sure how much of a Dark Star he really was...

_"Get out of my way, bitch," said Kaji, shoving me roughly to the side. He faced off with Brin, while Ariogya squared her shoulders and stood only a few feet from Grant, Saki glared at Micael, and Nicka all but growled at Hario. Zarin, on the other hand, reached out his hand and helped me to my feet. _

_"Let them fight," he said softly. "But we don't have to."_ _I shook my head and turned away from my friends as they dove for their sparing partners. In the end, we came out victorious, but by how much..._ I opened my eyes.

"Thank you," I said gently. "I'm ready."

Chapter 3(Laori)

Kaji lunged at me, practice staff raised, ready to slam into my ribs. 

_He's aiming high!_ yelled Mioua.

_I know! I'm not blind!_ I ducked and threw my own up above my head, hands gripping it around the middle. There was a clatter of wood and on instinct, I kicked with the leg not supporting my weight. Kaji hit the dirt and groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Bitch," he muttered, picking up his staff.

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser," I chided. "Anyone else?" 

"I'll take you on." Dais, who had been watching from the sidelines, picked up another staff and walked to the middle of the "arena". Basically, it was an empty space in the middle of a group of buildings, but did I care? No, not really. Instead, I grinned. 

"All right," I said, balancing my weight again. "You're mine, warlord." He gave me a look of grim determination that he always always gets when he's about to fight, but I wasn't worried. I knew for a fact Dais could kick my ass in battle with one hand tied to behind his back, but staffs and practice fights were _my_ forte. 

I attacked first, for no apparent reason other then I wanted to, and brought my staff down towards his head. He blocked, but I back flipped, caught the middle of the staff with my ankles, knocked it free of his hands and grabbed it before it hit the ground. My hair chose to shake loose of its ponytail at that moment, so I brushed from my face and barely avoided a non-staff attack from the warlord.

"Are you insane?!" I yelled, lowering my arms from my face. "No way was that fair."

"The enemy doesn't always fight fair, Laori," he said, walking away. He vanished before he reached the edge of the "arena". I sighed in frustration, propped the staffs up against the wall and followed him through the shadows. How did I use the shadows? Welcome to one of the better parts of our sub armors that we got to keep in the split: shadow traveling. Using the universal connection between every one of those black things that seemingly go nowhere... unless you know where you're looking. The only thing I haven't figure out yet is how to use my own shadow. But that's just a technicality. 

Trust me, when you're a warrior, everything is a technicality.

I stepped onto the ledge above one of the Dynasty's many yellowish rivers. Dais was there, watching the horizon. For what, who knows, but after several moments of silence, I sighed again.

"Okay, so I'm a novice," I said finally. He gave me a small smile (yes, Dais can smile other then that malicious one he's always giving the Ronins) and nodded. 

"Yes you are," he said. I grinned happily. At least I was still able to break down the dark shields he always had after a battle. "I have to meet with Master Talpa. Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine," I told him. "It's you I'm worried about. You know I don't trust Lord Talpa anymore then I, or Mioua, have ever have." He gave a light sigh.

"I wish you would," he said, vanishing again. Another frustrated sigh and I headed back, this time not thinking of any particular direction to go. Why wouldn't he believe me? I knew Talpa's grand plan _didn't_ involve him and the other two warlords and the last thing I wanted to do was to lose him... Rrgghh! Damn the Demon Overlord!

"You're back," said Wes. I nodded and picked up a staff. "You still want to fight?"

"Fight, destroy, what's the difference?" I asked, balancing my weight. "As long as I win."

Chapter 4

"You're growing strong, Laori." I kept my body bowed, but gave a slight nod. 

"Thank you, my lord Talpa," I said, forcing at much gratefulness into my voice without making my stomach heave. Oops, too late. 

"And yet, there are still two Earth Star armors."

"Forgive me, my lord, but neither Wes nor I feel we have the strength to survive a rejoining of our armors," I explained. Well, part of it was true. I didn't think I would survive. Wes would be the one controlling the Satanic Earth Star armor, not me, thanks to the huge amount of evil in the Dynasty. 

"Master Talpa, if I may give my report," said Kayura, appearing beside me. 

"Yes, Kayura, give me your report." I backed up slowly into the nearest shadow and ended up near where I lived. I set my mouth in a firm line, angry and scared at the same time. There was no possible way I was letting Wes get my armor until I was done with it. And I had a feeling he felt the same way. 

"Laori!" said Zarin in surprise when I ran directly into him. "I thought you'd still be in a meeting with Master Talpa."

"Kayura wanted to give her report, so I left," I said. I looked past him and saw another person standing half hidden in the doorway. "Whoa. I must really need some sleep." He looked over his shoulder and gave a small grin.

"I thought you'd want to see her," he explained. "So I brought her here." The figure moved into the light and I gasped. It was! 

"Micja!" I said. She smiled.

"Hey cuz," she said quietly. I hugged her, joy overwhelming uncertainty. She was here! Wait a minute... she was here?!

"Oh, Micja," I said, pulling back. "It's too dangerous."

"I know that," she said, shrugging. "But remember. We share something, a trait that the armors have given us."

"Other then a slightly annoying voice in the head?"

_Excuse me?_

_Kidding Mioua_. Micja grinned.

"Other then that." I knew what she was talking about. Each of the armors had given the wearers an ability that differed with each person. Brin, for example, can erase and or add memories to a person (which you know she would love, if she knew she had it), Ariogya can heal injuries (at the expense of her own strength) Saki can control parts of the weather, Nicka can talk to sea animals (Yes, just a tad Little Mermaid-ish, but she didn't know she could do it yet), and Micja can see things that happened in the pasts of all of us. Even as far back as before the original wearers joined Talpa and the Dynasty. I, on

the other hand, can go the opposite way, into the future, and for the life of me, I had known Micja was coming, but sometimes, things can change. Like when I had first known about the armors, prior to my joining the Dynasty, all of my friends had been consumed by the darkness that came with the full armors. We had destroyed the Ronins again and the Dynasty had over thrown the mortal realm, since all resistance had been stopped. But after I went with Wes, when I left the mortal realm, it had changed. To what, god knows, because I hadn't figure it out yet.

"Micja, it's not safe."

"I don't care," she said firmly. "I've found you and that's all that matters." 

Chapter 5(Micja)

I tossed in my sleep, dreaming unimaginable things. Deaths no one knew of, wars never recorded. I saw kings fall, queens murdered in their beds, all for freedom. Then freedom failed and all was lost to a storm of dust.

_This is what happened to my village_, said Veria._ That's how Talpa was able to turn me into a warrior for darkness. I had never known anything other then hate._

_Stop this!_ I yelled, feeling pain double and triple in my chest. _Please.._.

_You cannot stop what has already happened._ I bolted up, stifling a cry. Darkness never came in the Dynasty, but it was pretty easy to fall asleep when you were tired enough. 

Laori's present glittered in the yellowish light. A gift to make up for the birthdays she had missed, but it was almost too much. The kanji orb of Air Star, my armor, shone with an blue light as unnatural as the glow from the moons outside. I picked it up and felt its power flow into me, forming my subarmor. It was black and dark blue, so dark they were close to blending into each other. 

My feet hit the ground and made barely a noise. I had to clear my head. Everything wanted to happen before I could get a handle on it. I had my armor, but I trapped in the Dynasty. Did the others know I was gone? Would they come after me? I prayed they didn't. They wouldn't stand a chance, not here. All of my faith rested in the fact that the Ronins were able to convince them with some sanity.

I was definitely hoping for too much. 

For a second, I realized I had started running. Usually, I avoid physical sport. I tend to make an ass of myself when I do. Sports are just not my thing. But now, I was running and really not caring. Until a cliff's edge came up. I hit the end and jumped off, twisting around into a dive. The water came up quick enough and it felt good to cool off. Gasping for breath, I staggered onto the shore underneath a rocky ledge and collapsed, watching the sky. What could I possibly do? Laori said I had two choices: join Talpa or die. The thing was, it was becoming a tough decision. How much did I want to stay with

my cousin? Was it worth betraying my friends?

_Family is the most important thing in the world,_ said Veria. 

_I know that, but still... Brin, Ary, Nicka, and Saki have been my friends since Laori vanished. Not to mention the Ronins have protected me from the Dynasty soldiers and warlords too_.

_Speaking of warlords... be wary of them_.

_What do you mean?_ I sat up, brushing my head on the rock. On the other side of the water was the warlord of Darkness: Kale. He didn't see me, but seemed angry about something nonetheless. _You know, he's actually cute without that helmet on..._

_You're not serious._

_I am, but come on, Ver. He's a Dynasty Warlord. A) what's he gonna see in a fourteen year old mortal and B)... I don't know a B yet, but give me a few minutes._

_We had better get back before Laori wakes up and finds us gone._

_Okay._ I stood up and gripped the side of the cliff. My foot found a rock to support my weight and I started climbing the sheer wall. Don't as me why, I was just really hyper. My subarmor was giving me an insane amount of energy. Think caffeine coated Fruit Loops and you've got the basic part of it. 

I reached the top and Zarin was waiting for me.

"What are you doing?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I got bored, waiting for something to happen."

"It's amazing, isn't it? All the power, the strength." I nodded.

"It is amazing." I looked back down and saw Kale was gone. Cold chills went through me suddenly, followed by a dark feeling. "What is that?" I whispered, looking at Zarin. He didn't look back.

"Talpa's calling us," he said quietly. "We have to go see what he wants."

Chapter 6(Laori)

Micja stood by Zarin, her braids at the base of her neck by a dark blue hair band. She almost didn't look like the same person who had come two days earlier.

"I will have the Acid Air Star and Satanic Earth Star armors," said Talpa. 

"My Lord Talpa!" I said. "Please, she's not strong enough yet. Both of them will be killed." Kayura appeared near us, a welcome sight. For once.

"Emperor Talpa," she said formally. "The Ronins and the other four Star Gaze have appeared, just as you said they would." My jaw fell open and I looked up at Dais. He didn't say anything, only looked at Talpa. Holy-! He had known! He had known my friends were coming! 

"Jesus-" I muttered. I was cut off by an explosion. I saw Brin, standing on top of one of the smaller towers around the castle. 

"Where is she, Master of Shadows?!" she yelled. "Where's Micja?!"

"Calm down!" said Micja. "I'm alright."

"Die, mortal witch!" Kaji attacked, katanas raised. 

"Fight them, my warriors," said Talpa with a cold laugh. "Destroy them." I looked over at Micja as the fight began.

"I won't," she whispered. "Not against them." 

"We have no choice," I said. "Armor of Earth Star! Tay Sarie!"

"Armor of Air Star! Tay Miesha!" 

_I can't believe your going along with this! You're fighting _with_ Talpa!_

_I have no choice. This is my mistake. I must live with it._

_Mistakes were created to learn from. Fighting for Talpa won't fix what you've done: it'll make it worse._

_I. Have. No. Choice._

_You always have a choice._

"Earth Stone Destroy!" I heard Wes yell his sure kill and whirled around to see what it was aimed at: two six year old children I hadn't noticed before. 

"NO!" I screamed. "You bastard! World Rock Shaking!" The two sure kills canceled each other out before they reached the children. "Don't _even_ think about it, Wes. I won't let you harm innocence."

"You want to fight?" he asked coolly, leveling his staff at me.

"I'm done with the Dynasty," I said. 

"Then you will-"

"Die," I finished quietly. He yelled in rage and attacked. The sharp blade at the top of his staff went straight through my armor. Reality wavered. I gripped the middle of the staff in my hands and glared at him.

"In hell," I said. "In hell."

Chapter 7(Micja)

We were dying, plain and simple. Somehow, they had gained the upper hand and were beating us. Us! It was really unfair. Aren't the good guys always supposed to win?

_It's a trail, Micja. The good guys win only after they have earned it,_ said Veria. I shook my head and pulled out another arrow. The soldier glowered from his helmet as he did the same. Nicka collapsed behind me, her armor disappearing back into it's orb. She was the last. Only me and Brin stood now. Laori was almost dead, Saki unconscious and being hauled away by the soldiers, and Ariogya was struggling to stay up without her armor. They didn't have the strength left to fight.

_Spirit We can do this... don't give up._

_Honor. I can't. He's taking all of my energy. I'm sorry..._

_Courage. Damn him! I'll kill him yet!_

_Faith. I... can't... let him win…_

_Devotion. Don't give in, you two. You're the only hope we have left._

_Compassion. Lovely. What are we supposed to do?_ Brin's armor glowed and there were small flashes from the hands of the others. Could it be? Were we... was it possible... the guys had a mega armor... did we?

_Don't do it, Micja,_ said Veria. I ignored her and let the arrow fly to distract the soldier. He dodged aside as I sent my armor away, then my sub armor. The glow brightened and surrounded Brin. The soldier loosed his arrow and immense pain ripped through my side. He groaned and fell to one knee, clutching his ribs, but I still stood. Maybe I was too stunned... he had actually shot me. Blood seeped from the wound, soaking into my shirt. Suddenly, the ground was a lot closer....

Ariogya yelled and staggered to her feet.

"Don't you dare die," she said harshly, kneeling by me. Sage came and supported her shoulders until she gained some balance. "Can you heal her?" He hesitated.

"There might be too much poison in her blood from the arrow," he said quietly. I shook my head as darkness settled over my mind.

"No... the poison's always been there... always."

"Micja," said Zarin, crawling towards me. "You should've moved, damn it. I'm the

one who's supposed to die."

"No..." I said. "I was born to die. It's better I go this way."

"Celestial Star Fury!"

"Hell's Vehemence!" I slowly sank away. We had a mega armor... so did they. But as long as no one died for me, I'd die happily.

_Maybe you were the right choice for the armor,_ came Veria's voice. _Anyone who values life like you deserves the Acid Air armor._

_I don't want the armor,_ I said. _I just want peace._

_Compassion_.

_Vengence. _Power and strength shot through me. Incredible warmth overthrew the pain in my

side. 

_No!_ I cried. _I don't want you to die for me._

**_Why is he giving up power?_** Veria started yelling.

_You!_ she shouted. _Get away, demon of the armor!_

**_We remember you,_** said the cold voice. **_The hot headed little girl who Lord Talpa chose to wear the Acid Air armor. Is this one the same as you? Will she forsake herself to destroy the Ronins?_**

_No,_ I said coldly. _I will not destroy the Ronins. They are my friends._

**_Yes, there is potential in you. Potential corruption. Master Talpa will enjoy darkening your soul._**

_Like hell he will. As long as I'm here, she's protected from the Master of Shadows._

"Micja..."

_Look. I understand this is important, but to hell with it. _I_ am in control and no over hyped demon voice is going to tell me how to wear it. The same goes for you, Veria._

"Micja..."

_FINALLY! She shows backbone!_ I felt someone shaking my shoulders.

**_This is far from over._**

_Of course it isn't._

_You bet._ I opened my eyes and looked around. Brin lay a few feet from me and I was staring into Zarin's green eyes.

"Are you still alive?" he asked quietly.

"Barely," I answered. "The armor..." 

"It's whole. And yours."

"Why? Why did you give it to me."

"You're the only one strong enough. I know I'm too weak."

"It must run in the blood," said Ariogya's voice. Rowen knelt down and tried to wake Brin. "Laori's half dead, but she's fighting for her full armor."

"What?" I bolted up, to the dislike of my partially healed side and saw an unarmed Laori struggling against Wes while being pinned down with his staff "Lao-!"

"She has to do it on her own," said Zarin. "I only gave my armor to you. You earned it by fighting the demon."

"Demon?" said Ary. "What demon?" She blinked. "Oh."

_Seraan must have told her._

_You're still here? I thought you would go when the armor was complete._

_Not a chance. Not with that bloody voice. I have to be here to make sure it doesn't take control of you._

_Veria... thanks._ I stood up and helped Zarin to his feet. We were both dirty, covered in half dried blood, and weak. Wow, I felt bad for my friends. They were gonna go through hell for their armors.

"You will die!"

"Not today!" Laori gripped the staff with both hands and flipped Wes onto his back. It suddenly struck me that Brin had had a white armor. So much for being the observant one.

"Um, Ary?"

"Yeah, I know, it's weird. Us, with a mega arm. Kaji and the rest, save for Zarin and Wes, skipped out awhile ago."

"Really? The warlords?"

"Talpa drew them back. We've been fighting random soldiers for some time now."

"Goody." Laori planted her foot firmly on Wes' chest and held his staff in one hand, her bleeding middle with the other.

"I'm sick..." she said. "Of the Dynasty's shit. It ends now. The armor's mine." A glow surrounded her, the staff, and Wes. I lowered my head as the full armor took it's place on her. God, I knew exactly what she was going through...

Epilogue(Laori)

"We have to stay in the Waters and Mist," I said. Brin nodded and gave me a quick hug.

"I missed you so much, Lay," she said. "Promise you'll be careful."

"We will," I said. "You guys be careful getting back."

"Got it covered," said Nicka. "There's nothing to getting back. Come on, Kento. Cye and Saki already went back and they said they'd make dinner. See ya' Lay, Micja." She grabbed Kento's arm and half dragged him into the shadows near us. Brin rolled her eyes as the others started to follow.

"God, how I am I supposed to do this?" she muttered. "How can I possibly lead...Nicka?"

"Just keep at it," said Micja. "Brin, look, it's not like we're going to be completely cut off. We'll come and see you guys." 

"I know," she said. "I didn't doubt that to begin with. I should probably get back. Who knows what argument Bree and Yuli have gotten into?" She laughed and walked into the shadows. Micja watched her disappear, then turned back. Her eyes widened, then danced.

"Um, yeah. See ya' in a few, Lay." She vanished into the shadows. I turned around to see what she had seen. Dais was standing there.

"Oh, uh, hi," I said. "We... have to go into hiding. I don't trust my armor here, or anywhere for that matter, but less here... in the Dynasty... with Talpa." He caught my arm as I turned to leave and kissed me. DAIS! Holy cripes! This was seriously not like him(A/N: At some point in time, Dais' evil personality will pretty much die. Just to warn you)! But, in all sense, I could've cared less. An electric shock went through my body, 'causing chills, the whole nine yards. It took about a second for the collision of sanity and emotion before I kissed him back. God, I seriously hoped Talpa wasn't seeing this. I didn't want Dais to suffer. That was the last thing on my mind.

"Be safe," he said as he let me go and walked away. I stood in awe, then threw my hands up in frustration.

_That was the warlord of Illusion?!_ said Mioua. 

_I hope to hell it was._

The End

Micja calmly waited her cousin's return. The warlord of Illusion wasn't bad, he wasn't evil, none of them were. It was Talpa that was the problem. The Demon Overlord would pay for corrupting their souls. 

Suddenly, she looked up. She felt the odd feeling of being watched. Carefully, she climbed off the rocky outcropping and started after the shadow in the mist. 

_You're chasing air!_ said Veria.

_I don't think I am,_ answered the girl. Abruptly, she was back inside the Dynasty. Ahead of her was the home of the Warlord of Darkness. Smiling, she turned back slowly. _Talpa may corrupt your mind,_ she thought, walking back into shadows. _But your heart will always be as pure as winter snow_.

The End(again)

A/N: That last part was to hint as the possible relationship between Micja andKale. The winter snow thing is because Kale's armor is actually the Armor of Winter. Anyway. this is the last of the Seasons of Truth. Everyone's got their armors, now we have the disappearance of the three Ronins(and Nicka, Saki, and Ary) into the Dynasty, the defeat of Talpa, the defeat of the Dark Stars and then... well, there's more to innocence when evil's involved.


End file.
